Supernatural recap: 'Stuck in the Middle (With You)'

Supernatural

type

TV Show

genre

Sci-fi, Drama

run date

09/13/05

performer

Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, Misha Collins

broadcaster

The CW

seasons

13

Current Status

In Season

tvpgr

TV-14

We gave it an A-

I’m not going to lie to you guys: Trying to recap this episode is a daunting task. Sure, it’s nowhere near as daunting as, say, fighting a Prince of Hell, but still, it’s not easy. So let’s get one thing out of the way: This was not a traditional episode. As far as Supernatural goes, there are really three general categories of episodes: monster of the week, mythology, and standalone. And although this was a monster-of-the-week episode, it did a lot for the mythology of the season (as good monster-of-the-week episodes tend to do).

But more than that, I want to praise this show for finding a way, after 12 years, to keep even the most basic formula interesting. The fact that I don’t know what to expect from a monster-of-the-week episode? Now that’s a feat worth recognizing.

What this episode did was take the story of one very eventful “hunt,” if you will, and chop it up into many different chapters, complete with time stamps and everything. (Think: Reservoir Dogs.) And I loved it. I think the method of storytelling, although unconventional, worked perfectly. However, for the purpose of this recap, I’m just going to take this hour and make it boring by putting the action in chronological order, because if you think the show’s mythology is confusing, try reading a recap that follows this hour step by step.

So, here’s the deal. Mary’s been working with the British Men of Letters, and so far, she feels pretty good about their partnership. They’re saving lives. All is good. But when she’s handed her next mission, she calls in Wally, a fellow hunter, for help. And by help, I mean that she wants Wally to pretend he’s found a demon and needs help, because if she were to call on Sam and Dean, they’d have questions. But if Wally asks for help, they’ll come willingly.

One call later, Sam, Dean, and Castiel join Mary and Wally for breakfast, where they multitask: They talk about the case while also trying to set Castiel up with their waitress, who is SUPER into it, by the way. But unfortunately for Castiel, they don’t have much time for flirting before they have to scout out the demon’s house.

It seems they’re hunting a demon of habit: He goes fishing at the same time each night. That’s when the team gets set to trap him. Only, while everyone is setting up, Mary slips into his basement and uses some cool tool — undoubtedly from the British Men of Letters — to break into a safe. Once inside, she steals something… but we don’t see what.

Now, it’s time for the demon to get home. The moment he walks through the front door, Dean puts multiple bullets in his chest. Nothing happens. Sam stabs him with the demon knife. Nothing happens. Then, he walks right through a demon trap. Something’s off.

Just like that, the entire mission goes horribly awry. Sam and Wally are left to fight two additional demons that show up — Wally doesn’t make it — and Castiel finds himself the target of this demon’s wrath. And when said demon somehow magically makes some sort of spear appear, you know this is bad. He stabs Castiel before Mary hits him with her car. She then gets Castiel safely to a nearby barn, but as she later tells Sam, that demon had yellow eyes.

Before Sam and Dean arrive at the barn, Mary sends a scathing text to the British Men of Letters, but they’re blaming “bad intel.” They tell her that she can’t stay there, but at this point, there’s no moving Cas.

After Crowley meets “Mother Winchester,” he explains that the additional demons were his. Furthermore, he explains that they’re dealing with a Prince of Hell named Ramiel. What’s a Prince of Hell, you ask? They’re the oldest generation of demons, the first generation after Lilith. Lucifer turned them himself. Their role was to lead demonic armies in the war against heaven. Azazel was one of them. And yes, they all have yellow eyes. (I have to admit, “Prince of Hell” sounds way cooler than “Yellow-Eyed Demon.”)